Improvement in multiplex telegraphs



N. H. THOMPSON.

MULTIPLEX TELEGRAPHS. I

No.181,742. Patented Aug 29,1876- Fig. 1.

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N. PETERS, IIHDWUTHDGRAPHER, WASHINGTON. D C.

UNITED STATES Orr'rcn.

IMPROVEMENT IN MULTIPLEX TELEGRAPHS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 18L742, dated August 29, 1876; application filed July 1, 1876. g h

To all whom it mag concern:

.Be it known that I, NILns H. THOMPSON, of Albion, Michigan, have invented a device for transmitting a number of telegraphdispatches over a single wire at one time, of which the following is a specification:

The nature of my invention consists in cansing a current of electricity to operate automatically a suitable device for closing and breaking a number of electric circuits in very rapid succession. The current operating the device flows successively through the several circuits when they are closed, and is thus broken into short impulses, which follow each other with great rapidity. At the transmitting-station keys devised for reversing the direction of the current are placed in each circuit. When any one of these keys is depressed reverse-impulses will flow through the circuit to which it belongs, while direct impulses will continue to flow through the other circuits. At the receiving-station a polarized armature, so arranged that a local circuit (including a sounder) is closed by it when reverse impulses are transmitted,.is placed in each of the. circuits. In this manner each circuit is provided, at the transmitting-station, with a key, controlling a sounder at the receiving-station, without interfering with the flow of impulses at the same time through the other circuits. In this way, while several of the local circuits may be closed at the same time, and remain closed so long as the keys controlling them are depressed, the line-circuits are closed and broken in very rapid succession. As in such case only one line-circuit is closed at any one time, a single conducting-wire may form a portion of all the circuits without any interference occurring between the impulses flowing through it and this wire may be used as the main line between the transmitting and receiving stations.

I will now describe a device involving my invention, referring to the drawings hereto attached and forming a part of this specification.

' This device is designed for transmitting six dispatches. It will be seen upon examination that by adding other instruments it may be arranged for transmitting an indefinite number.

Figure 1 represents the transmitting, and v Fig. 2 the receiving, instruments.

13-}- is a battery transmitting a current from- B- is the sending to the receiving station. a battery transmitting a current in the reverse direction. for sending the dispatches. are at rest the springs sp, which are joined at e with wires leading to the coils 0, form a contact at d with a wire from battery 13+.

When the keys are depressed the springs sp come in contact at S with a wire from battery 13-, and contact at d is broken. O 0 (1 0 0 0 c 0 c c c c are electro magnets or coils, arranged 111 pairs.

ing about an axis in the middle, and carrying near each end an armature (not shownin the drawing) for each of the coils. These levers are composed of conductors f h i,insu lated from each other by non-conductors g, and serve to close and break the circuits, as described below. To give these levers a more specitic name I will designate them switches. pa pa pa pat 60 190. are switches, carrying polarized armaturcs, (not shown,) which are repelled while a direct and attracted while a reverse current is passing through the coils to which they belong, so that the switches change their position only when achange occurs in the direction ot the current.

Si S2 S3 S4 S5 s6 S7 s8 s9 S11 s12 1 2 3 4 s s s" s 8 8 8 s s s s s s" s. are stops, which limit the movement of the switches, and through which connection is made between the conductors and wires. 7

b is a local battery for working the sounders S0 S0 S0 S0 S0 S0. The local circuits working the sounder-s are broken when the switches pa rest against the back stops, and closed when they are in contact with the stops 1;) 14 15 16 17 18 I L+ is a wire leading from battery 3+ to the keys at d. r

L- is a wire leading from battery B- to the keys at S.

L L L L L L l Z Z l l l are wires forming, with the wires just described and the wires ML, E, and cl, the several circuits. ML is the main line. E E el are wires leading to earth.

K K K K 15 K are keys When the keys Each pair is pro- Y "vided with a lever, A A A a a a, oscillat L to stop 8; through conductor i-,-(lever A wire L coil C and wire L to stop S through conductor f (A to main line ML; through main line, conductor f, (A Fig. 2,) to stop 8 through wire I, coil 0 wire Z conductor t, (a to stop 8 through earth-line 01 to earth; through earth and earth-line E'to battery. Circuit 2-From key K through wire L stop S conductor i, (A wire 1 coil C wire Z stop S conductor f, (A main line, conductor f, (0. stop 3 wire l coil 0 wire Z conductor 13, (a,) stop s ,-earth-line el, earth, earth-line E, to battery. Circuit 3From key K through wire L stop S conductor i, (A wire L coil 0 wire L stop 8, conductor f, (A main line, conductor f, ((1 stop 8 wire Z coil 0 wire Z conductor 6, ((4 stop .9, earthline el, earth, earth-line E, to battery. Circuit 4--From key K through wire L stop 8, conductor h, (A wire L coil 0*, wire L stop 8", conductor 9, (A main line, conductor f, (01 stop 8 wire 1 coil 0 wire I, conductor h, (a stop 8', earth-line cl, earth, earth-line E, to battery. Circuit 5-From key K through wire L stop S conductor h, (A wire L coil C wire L stop 8, conductor f, (A main line, conductor f, (0,) stop 8 wire Z coil 0 wire 1 conductor h, (a stop 8 earth-line el, earth, earth-line E, to battery. Circuit 6 From key K", through wire L stop 8, conductor h, (A wire L coil 0 wire L stop S conductor f, (A main line, conductor f, (00 stop 8 wire Z coil 0 wire l conductor h, ((0 stop .9, earth-line el, earth, earth-line E, to battery. The local circuits are formed, respectively, from battery I), through wires Z l, levers pa pa? 1766 10a. 1000 pa stops 8 s s s s 8 wires 1 Z, sounders S0 S0 S0 S0 S0 S0,

'wires Z l, to battery I). r

- When the switches A A A a 0, Were in the positions shown by the drawings, resting, respectively, against stops S and S, S and S S and 8 ,8 and s, s and 8 s and 8 circuit 1 is closed. The other circuits are broken. -A current will then flow through circuit 1. The electro-magnets C and 0 will be excited, attracting their armatures, and movin g levers A and a, respectively, against stops 8'' S and s 8 Circuit 1 will then be broken, and circuit 2 will be closed. A current will then flow through circuit 2, exciting electromagnets C and c attracting their armatures and moving switches A and a against stops S S and s s, breaking circuit 2 and closing circuit 3. The remaining circuits will inlike manner be broken and closed in succession to the end of the series, when the switches will be again in the same positions as at first, and the changes just describe'd will be repeated, so long as the battery continues its action.

In this way each circuit is closed momentarily in rapid succession, breaking the current into short impulses, which follow each other with great rapidity'through the keys and coils. The impulses that flow through key K and coil C flow also through .coil 0 and in like manner with the other circuits.

- Now,-so long-as the keys remain at rest, direct impulses flow through all the circuits, and, the polized armatures not being afi'ected thereby, the local circuits that operate the .sounders remain broken. When, however,

any of thekeys are depressed, the direction of the current is reversed through such keys, and through the coils which correspond to them. The polarized armatures of such coils are attracted, the corresponding local circuits closed, and the corresponding sounders operated. So long as any key remains depressed, reverse impulses continue to flow through .it. and the corresponding coil at the receivingstation, and the local circuit remains closed. I When such key returns to rest, direct impulses at once flow, the polarized armature is repelled, breaking the local circuit. In this manner each key at the transmitting-station controls a sounder at the receiving-station, so that by using the Morse system of writing, dispatches may be sent by any or all of the keys at the same time, and each dispatch will be received through a separate sounder.

For the sake of clearness I have shown a simple form of device; but the form of construction may be varied as desired. For example, instead of single coils, withpolarized armatures'at one end, the ordinary form of double coil may be used, and the polarized armatures placed between the poles of the magnets. y f

Other devices may be employed. involving the principle of my invention. For example, instead of oscillating switches, a rotating wheel with conductors running through it, and carrying armatures on its periphery, may be used. While, therefore, I adopt and claim the device described above, I do not limit my claim thereto. Instead of using a current of reverse polarity for operating polarized armatures, a current of greater intensity may be used, by substituting for the polarized armatures other armatures held back by retractile springs, so adjusted as to yield only to a current of greater intensity; and by adding other keys, for changing the intensity of the current, armatures with retractile springs, adjusted as described, may be used in addition to the polarized armatures. By this means double th number of dispatches may be sent. I claim as my invention l. A device consisting of one or more switches, combined with and operated automatically by one or more electro-magnets, in such a manner as to break and close two or more electric circuits in succession.

2. A device consisting of one or more switches, operated automatically by one or more electro-magnets, combined with two-or more electric circuits, so arranged that when one circuit is broken another will be closed, and so on through the series, in a regular order, again and again.

3. A device consisting of one or more switches, operated automatically by one or more electro-magnets, so as to break and close two or more electric circuits in succession, combined with two or more keys, so constructed as, when manipulated, to change the electrical condition of the current through any or all of the circuits.

4, A device consisting of one or more switches, operated automatically by one or more electro-magnets, so as to break and close two or more electric circuits in succession, combined with two or more armatures, so constructed as to break and close secondary circuits, operating sounders or other receivinginstruments, whenever the electrical condition of the current flowing through the primary circuits is changed.

5. The combination, with transmitting-instruments consisting of one or more switches, operated automatically by one or more electro-magnets, so as to break and close two or more electric circuits in succession, of receiving-instruments consisting of one or more switches, operated automatically by one or more electro-magnets, so as to break and close the said circuits at the same time they are broken and closed by the switches of the transmitting-instruments.

operated automatically by one or more electro-magnets, so as to break and close the said circuits, respectively, at the same time they are broken and closed by the switches of the transmitting-instruments, and armatures placed in the said circuits, so constructed as to break and close secondary circuits. operating sounders or other receiving-instruments, whenever the electrical condition of the current flowing through any of the primary circnits is changed by the manipulation of the said keys, and arranged substantially as described, so that two or more telegraph-dispatches may be transmitted through a single conducting-wire, forming a portion of all the primary circuits, at one time.

NILES HIBBARD THOMPSON.

Witnesses:

J AJBEZ Fox, FRANK BAKER, 

